A Central Digital Hub for Carlton

The Carlton Community Website was created in response to the community expressing the need to improve information, access and connection across Carlton. Its aims are to:

provide a digital meeting space for the community;

keep residents, workers, students and visitors informed about life and activities in Carlton; and

enrich community life by bringing people together.

It was established as part of the City of Melbourne’s Opportunities for Carlton (OFC) project, 2009 – 2013, funded in partnership with the State Government of Victoria. It continues to receive support from the City of Melbourne and the Carlton Local Agencies Network (CLAN) and is well embedded in the Carlton Connect Initiative.

The content is organised according to key aspects of community life, which include News, What’s On, Work and Volunteer and a Community Directory.

These can also be curated according to membership groups and/or communities of interest. The Website also offers opportunities for local businesses and organisations to promote their products and services to the community through advertising and sponsorship opportunities.

The Carlton Community Website recently partnered with the University of Melbourne to pioneer a Social Journalism initiative. A key feature of this project is the creation of the Carlton Citizen Journalism Network. Unlike traditional models of journalism where the role of informing the community is left to professional journalists, the focus here will be about empowering members of the community to inform each other using digital and mobile tools.

Engagement with the community will take place online through the website and social media, as well as face-to-face through events. This initiative is currently coordinated by the Carlton Neighbourhood Learning Centre (CNLC), which is the auspice agency for the website.

The Carlton Community Website Auspiced by the Carlton Neighbourhood Learning Centre. This not-for-profit website enables the coordination of information, events and discussions across Carlton and creates a digital meeting space for the community.